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74% of our College Prep Scholars will be among the first generation in their families to attend college, and 65% of them ranked in the top 5% of their high school class. 75% qualify for free or reduced lunch. They hail from all regions of the country, and represent a wide range of ethnic backgrounds.

The College Prep Scholarship program was created to prepare highly qualified juniors from low-income backgrounds to apply to top colleges.  In addition to awarding scholarships to summer programs at prestigious college campuses, the program also offers many other awards including all-expense-paid campus visit nominations and telementoring with Amherst College students. With one application, students could apply to the full array of offerings, and applicants selected as College Prep Scholars received one or more of the awards.

This year, QuestBridge is pairing approximately 40 students with full scholarships to summer programs at Brandeis, Emory, Harvard, Notre Dame, Penn, Stanford, or Yale, representing an increase from previous years. Additionally, QuestBridge has invited a select group of College Prep Scholars to participate in College Admissions Conferences at Northwestern, Princeton, and Stanford universities. The conferences offer a chance to meet with admissions officers from partner colleges and current college students, and feature a full day of presentations aimed at educating students and their parents about college admissions and financial aid.

Nearly 50 students were also selected to receive one-on-one college counseling from a Quest staff member or a Quest college student, to help aid them through the college admissions process.

QuestBridge anticipates that many College Prep Scholars will apply for the National College Match program in the fall, which leads to admissions and full four-year scholarships at QuestBridge’s partner colleges.

Contact:

Lisa Gordon, Program Associate

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650-331-3280

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More than 1,500 students nationwide will be selected as College Prep Scholars based on the strength of their application. To qualify, students must demonstrate academic excellence as well as financial need. College Prep Scholars will receive one or more of the following award offerings: full scholarships to summer programs at Brandeis, Emory, Harvard, Notre Dame, Penn, Stanford, or Yale; individualized college admissions counseling; invitations to QuestBridge's College Admissions Conferences at Northwestern, Princeton, and Stanford; all-expense-paid campus visit nominations to QuestBridge partner colleges; and telementoring with Amherst College students. In addition, students who meet certain criteria may also apply for Quest for Excellence awards to receive new laptop computers or expense-paid college visits.

The free online application allows students to apply for multiple awards at once and requires a current high school transcript; any available test scores; an essay and short answer questions; information on the student's family's financials; and one letter of recommendation from a high school teacher.

The application deadline is March 27, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Notifications will be sent via e-mail no later than April 20, 2012.

Contact:

Lisa Gordon, Program Associate

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650-331-3280

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"The talent in this year’s group of college matches is remarkable," said David Hunter, CEO of the Quest Scholars Program, the parent organization of QuestBridge.  “We are always so honored to take part in linking these deserving students with the opportunity to succeed at incredible schools.”

QuestBridge received 7,823 applications for the 2011 National College Match, an 18% increase over last year. Each year, the number of applications has risen significantly as there has been increased awareness of the scholarship program among students and educators. Of these applicants, 3,850 were named “finalists” by QuestBridge, a designation that is granted based on whether a student qualifies both academically and financially. The National College Match finalists have their applications forwarded by QuestBridge to their schools of interest. The select group of students who are ultimately “matched” in the early process to a particular school are offered binding admission with a full scholarship, with the exception of a few schools, which do not require attendance.

Receiving a College Match scholarship can be a life-changing experience for low-income high school seniors who might otherwise feel that a highly selective college is out of reach financially.  For Kendall Melvin, a high school senior from Lakewood, California, QuestBridge has opened up a world of opportunity. “Originally my plans were that I would attend the local state university and live at home…now I expect so much more out of my college experience. Because I do not have to worry about the financial aspect as much, I can focus on really growing as a person, developing more intellectually and narrowing my career focus.”  Kendall will attend his first choice school, Amherst College, in the fall of 2012.

Keya Teklu, a future Stanford University student from Keller, Texas, also had planned on attending a state university before learning about QuestBridge. “Money was a major challenge in my family. I wasn’t even considering any of QuestBridge’s partner colleges. QuestBridge changed everything for me. Now I can have the best education without having to worry about the price.”

About QuestBridge

The Quest Scholars Program was first founded as a summer program in the 1990s as a way to help high-achieving, socio-economically disadvantaged high school students realize their potential in contributing to society both academically and professionally.  In 2004, QuestBridge was created to connect a larger population of outstanding low-income students with admission to selective universities.  Currently, QuestBridge partners with some of the nation’s leading universities and liberal arts colleges, including Emory, Northwestern, Rice, Stanford, and Williams. The National College Match helps qualifying high school seniors gain admission and full scholarships to these schools. Last year, over 1,500 QuestBridge applicants were admitted to our partners and were awarded over $100 million in financial aid. More information about QuestBridge is available at www.questbridge.org.

Contact:

Lisa Gordon, Program Associate

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650-331-3280

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